Bowl Mania: Myrtle Beach Bowl
Myrtle Beach Bowl 2023
When: Saturday, December 16th@ 11:00 AM ET
Where: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Who: Ohio (9-3) vs. Georgia Southern (6-6)
Spread & Total: Georgia Southern -3; O/U 48.5
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Tale of the Take: Ohio Bobcats
A head-to-head matchup against Miami of Ohio left the Bobcats out of the MAC title game. Nonetheless, the Bobcats built momentum off a 10-win season a year ago in Tim Albin’s third year at the helm. Ohio went 2-2 against bowl eligible teams in 2023.
Offensively, the Bobcats have felt a sense of normalcy with Kurtis Rourke under center. The senior has been the starter for Ohio since 2021. However, Rourke, along with a handful of Bobcats, have entered the transfer portal and will not play in the bowl game. An offense that averaged 26 PPG in the MAC will look completely different in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Defense is where the Bobcats shined in 2023. The Bobcats trailed only Miami of Ohio in terms of defensive scoring in conference play (17.3 PPG). Ohio is led by senior linebacker Bryce Houston, along with a trio of defensive lineman who recorded at least four sacks this season.
Opt Outs: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Transfer Portal Departures:
QB Kurtis Rourke
(2023 All-MAC Second Team; 3-year starter; team’s 3rd leading rusher)
RB Sieh Bangura
(Leads team in rushing (178 att., 811 yards, seven touchdowns). 2,274 total yards and 23 touchdowns in the last two seasons.)
RB O’Shaan Allison
(Backup to Bangura; 139 att., 452 yards, three touchdowns).
WR Miles Cross
(Leads team in receiving yards (617) and touchdowns (five). 47 receptions is second on the team.)
WR Tyler Walton
(Third on the team receptions, yards, and touchdowns)
LB Keye Thompson
(2023 All-MAC First Team Defense; 94 total tackles, team lead three fumble recoveries (one touchdown))
WR Aramoni Rhone
TE Alec Burton
IOL Demond Arter
DL Tristan Cox
Players to Know:
#13 QB Parker Navarro
Declared the starter after Kurtis Rourke entered the transfer portal; the senior has 24 career attempts (112 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). 23 carries for 186 yards rushing
#32 LB Bryce Houston
2023 All-MAC First Team Defense. Leads team with 120 tackles. Accumulated 292 total tackles (141 solo) over last three years. Three interceptions led the team
Tale of the Tape: Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern clinched a bowl berth over in-state rival Georgia State on October 26th. They went on to lose their next four, getting outscored 158-101 in the process to four eventual bowl teams. Going 6-6 in a Sun Belt conference that managed to secure 12 bowl berths, the Eagles went 2-6 against bowl eligible teams.
Offensively, the team is the most pass oriented in FBS at 44.6 attempts per game. Senior quarterback Davis Brin, a Tulsa transfer, calls the offense for the Eagles. But going back to his time starting at Tulsa, Brin has a tendency to turn the ball over (40 interceptions on 1,179 attempts since 2021; 3.4% interception rate). The Eagles have a duo at running back in Jalen White and OJ Arnold. Georgia Southern ranks 122nd of 133 FBS programs in rush attempts per game.
Defensively, Georgia Southern struggled against better competition. They allowed 36.1 PPG to bowl eligible teams, and had the fourth-worst defense in conference play (35.3 PPG). Despite the scoring allowed, the Eagles had individual defensive honors at each level of the defense. Defensive back Shemar Bartholomew had 13 pass deflections (T-4th nationally; All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense) and defensive lineman Isaac Walker led the team with six sacks (All-Sun Belt Third Team Defense).
Opt Outs: N/A
Injuries:
RB Jalen White
(Team’s lead back (159 att., 891 yards and nine touchdowns); missed regular season finale against Appalachian State)
Transfer Portal Departures:
QB Beau Allen
DL Myles Winslow
S Jalen Denton
LS Mark Langston
Player to Know:
#7 WR Khaleb Hood
All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense. Leading receiver in school history in receptions (245) and receiving yards (2,661). Set the school’s single season receiving yards record in 2022 (925); needs nine yards to break the record this year.
#1 LB Marques Watson-Trent
All-Sun Belt First Team Defense. 111 total tackles (56 solo) led the team. 3.5 sacks and two interceptions are second on the team. Led the team last year with 113 total tackles (49 solo).
Bowl Game Trends:
- Georgia Southern: 2-1 against the MAC in bowl games
- GSU Head Coach Clay Helton: 2-4 in bowl games (0-3 in L3)
- Sun Belt: 2-0 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl
Game Synopsis:
The strength of this Ohio team was clearly on the defensive side of the ball, but they are without key linebacker Keye Thompson. Their offense is depleted without Rourke, their leading rusher, and two of their top three receivers. The Bobcats are now on their third-string quarterback for the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Meanwhile, Georgia Southern has lost four straight entering the Myrtle Beach Bowl. But the Eagles are not depleted by injuries or the transfer portal; the three players were reserves with little playing time. They could be out their lead back, but have a fill-in with backup OJ Arnold.
Ohio’s defense is the best unit on the field, but how will they score? Navarro has little action in his time at the collegiate level. While not as important as the quarterback, the Bobcat’s leading rusher entering this game will now be Navarro with 10 attempts on the season. No other Ohio running back has seen a touch since the Kent State game on October 7th. I’ll roll with the team that wasn’t gashed by the transfer portal. Georgia Southern wins the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Bowl Mania Pick To Win: Georgia Southern
Bowl Mania Confidence: 16/43
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